Paul Stamets: 6 ways mushrooms can save the world

CHAGA HUNT (pt.2): Making Tea

The following is my first attempt at making Chaga tea. I heated the Chaga for about 20 minutes at a low boil (or just below boiling). This allowed the water to become dark quite quickly. The colour has hints of red like many common teas - but this is no common tea. It is tea of the birch fungus. (I suppose you have to be a little adventurous for this type of thing...) The smells and process are reminiscent of a sugar shack and boiling down sap to make maple syrup. Perhaps this is more Canadian than I originally thought.

I then transferred the Chaga with the hot water 

to the slow cooker and let it steep for about 4 hours. 

Once complete the colour was quite dark in appearance. Not unlike coffee. The taste was pleasantly surprising. I have read that it has hints of vanilla and coffee. For me the flavours have hints of maple and a subtle bitterness of a dark tea. There is a definite familiarity to the taste. 

I have now had about 10 cups of Chaga tea over the last 5 days. I have blended it with coffee at 50% which is a delicious combination. I have also tried it with both honey and agave nectar. The natural sweeteners definitely enhance the already sweet undertones - but in my opinion - the subtle beauty of the flavour can be masked by adding too much sugar. I recommend it "black". Enjoy it for its essence.

CHAGA HUNT: The search for nature's miracle cure in Northern Ontario

After first hearing about the Chaga mushroom on CBC radio my thoughts wandered to the romantic notion of "the hunt". Mushrooms have a mystical nature, with sometimes medicinal properties and magical powers - not to mention a scary quality as many are poisonous. But Chaga was described as something different. For a novice mushroom hunter - this sounded attainable. As my research began to show, the Chaga mushroom is not as scary as one might think. This hidden and somewhat rare mushroom could be found in my own backyard. Further research has shown this to be an incredibly beneficial and medicinal mushroom - almost to the point of absurdity. The list seems endless to what it can potentially cure and provide for positive health and stability. In addition to consumption - it has been used throughout history as tinder to start fires providing its common name "Tinder Fungus". Many consume Chaga by making tea. Attached are some photos from my first hunt and few other interesting images and videos on the subject.

Check out Wiki Link Here for more info!

Chaga is usually found on birch trees.

Up close and personal - 

Chaga does not look like something edible. 

It looks like burnt / charred wood. 

Something you would find in a fire pit.

This is not a typical mushroom. 

"The best live among us in disguise"

Sometimes you need to get creative... 

I found that other hunters had already collected some of

the larger "low lying fruit". A little work can pay off.

Beyond the rough exterior is a beautiful golden orange interior.

My harvest. Cleaned up using a hatchet and a wood rasp. 

Next step is to fully dry and then attempt my first batch of tea.

The following are some online videos expounding on the benefits of Chaga:

How to make Chaga tea:





A list of the reputed benefits of Chaga...

courtesy of www.chagamountain.com

• Anti-aging
• Anti-allergic
• Anti-bacterial
• Anti-Cancer
• Anti-genotoxicity
• Anti-inflammatory
• Anti-microbial
• Anti-mutagenic
• Anti-oxidant
• Anti-tumor
• Anti-viral
• Arthritis
• Asthma
• Bacterial Diseases
• Blood Pressure High (Hypertension)
• Blood Pressure Low (Hypotension)
• Blood Purification
• Bronchitis
• Candidiasis (yeast)
• Cardio-Vascular
• Crohn’s Disease (CD)
• Diabetes
• Fungal Growth
• Gastritis
• Heart Disease
• Hepatoprotective
• HIV
• Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Immune Support / Enhancer
• Influenza
• Intestinal Worms
• Kidney Tonic
• Lower Cholesterol
• Liver / Hepatitis
• Pain Relief
• Parasites
• Parotid gland
• Pulmonary Diseases
• Skin Ailments
• Stomach Ailments
• Stomach Disease
• Tuberculosis
• Ulcerative Colitis (UC)